Most media player applications provide a range of features that enable users to discover, acquire, and use media content. In addition, the exposure to, and use of, media content (e.g., through online media services, etc.) is increasingly becoming part of a user media experience that is relevant to other applications and to an overall operating system environment. With the exception of providing the media content itself, most media players provide and control all aspects of the user experience. That is, the media player controls the experience with respect to discovering and acquiring online media, in addition to providing a broad range of features for using the media, such as playing the media, burning the media (e.g., music files) to a CD, and transferring the media to a portable device.
There are various ways for online media services to advertise and deliver media content to customers/users. For example, in one scenario, users can use a browser application to browse media service Web pages and search for media content, and then purchase and download desired content through the browser application and mechanisms provided by the media service. In this case, the media discovery and acquisition process is generally controlled by the media service itself. From the media service's point of view, being able to control the media discovery and acquisition experience in this manner is a benefit, as it provides the service with the opportunity to attract more users through its own innovative and dynamic presentation of media content.
In another scenario, media services can deliver content to users through agreements made with media player developers. A media service provides the media content, but the media player controls how the user discovers and acquires (and plays/consumes) the content. This lack of control over the discovery and acquisition of its content is problematic for media services, however. Some media services have attempted to overcome this problem by writing their own media players and providing them to users. Although this alternative gives a media service control over the discovery, acquisition and playback of the media content, it also has important disadvantages. In particular, the cost of developing a media player can be significant, which typically means that the resulting media player is unable to offer the rich playback features provided by other media players that are readily available to users.
From a user's view point, both of the scenarios discussed above can be problematic. For example, the first scenario discussed above provides a disjointed experience for the user. The user browses (i.e., with a browser application) media service Web pages in search of desired content, and then purchases and downloads the content. To use the content (e.g., play, bum to CD, transfer to portable player, etc.) the user must then initiate a separate action through a media player application. Thus, the experience is a disjointed and sometimes time consuming combination of steps that necessitates the use of different applications.
In the second scenario discussed above, the user is limited to media content that is made available through the media player application, as well as being limited to the presentation of that content as dictated by the media player application. The variety of content accessible to the user is therefore limited to content secured by the media player through agreements with various media services. A user who desires a wider variety of media content may not be able to find the content they want through the media player, and thus be relegated to using a browser application to search for their desired content in the same type of disjointed experience as discussed above.
Accordingly, from an end-user perspective, a need exists for a way to provide an uninterrupted media experience that includes the discovery, acquisition, and use of a variety of media content within a feature rich player environment specifically, and within an overall operating system environment more generally. From a media services perspective, a corresponding need exists for a way to enable media services to have control over the way users discover and acquire media for use within a feature rich player environment and/or an overall operating system environment.